Reigning Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek of Poland collected her 36th consecutive match-win on Tuesday as she moved past Croatian qualifier Jana Fett 6-0, 6-3 in the first round of Wimbledon.
World No.1 Swiatek needed 1 hour and 14 minutes to best World No.252 Fett, who was contesting just her third Grand Slam main draw.
Just 21 years old, the Pole is already a two-time Roland-Garros champion and the world No.1, unbeaten on tour since February.
When she won her first Grand Slam as an unseeded teenager in 2020, she adapted well to her new status and had a consistent 2021 campaign in which she reached the second week at each of the four Slams.
When she rose to No.1 in the world after Ashleigh Barty’s sudden retirement, Swiatek thrived under the spotlight and went on a raging winning streak – now up to 36 matches – that included her second triumph at Roland-Garros.
Swiatek now owns the second-longest winning streak in women’s tennis since 1990; her 36th consecutive victory equalling Monica Seles’ run from 32 years ago. The last woman to win 36 or more straight matches was Martina Hingis in 1997.
Spending her 13th week as the world No.1, Swiatek feels proud of how well she has managed her sudden leap to the summit of the rankings.
On Tuesday at Wimbledon, she was given the honour of opening Centre Court proceedings in the absence of last year’s champion Barty, and the top seed handled that novel experience with great poise, coming back from a 1-3 deficit in the second set to defeat Croatian qualifier Jana Fett 6-0, 6-3.
"I'm really motivated to play well here"
No.1 seed Iga Swiatek speaks after a record-breaking win on Centre Court#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/Sly0oXVAp0
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2022
“It’s my first match on grass this season, so I knew it was going to be tricky,” said Iga Swiatek, who was competing for the first time since her Roland-Garros triumph three weeks ago.
“I’ve only played like 12 weeks in my life on grass, but the whole atmosphere, all the traditions this year, it’s really pumping me up.
So I’m really motivated to play well here,”she added .
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